System for lapping cotton



Aug. 10 1926 w. HARDMAN SYSTEM FO LAPPING GOTTQN I File d Oct. 4, 19241 v2 Sheets-Sheetl.

'W. HARDMAN SYSTEM FOR LAPPING COTTON Filed 001;. 4, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I lNVENTOR Wm.-lle.rdman QBY A v ATTORNEY Patented Plug. ill,

sires WILLIAETHABDMAN, 0F HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

' SYSTEM FOB LAPP ING' COTTON.

Application filed October 4, 1924. Serial No. 741,725.

My invention relates to improvements in systems for lapping cotton and the object of the invention is to devise a cotton lapping system wherein the cotton or waste of different grades fed into the initial machine of the system travels continuously through the respective machines without having to be handled, and is automatically cleaned and thoroughly mixed, being finally discharged from the finishing lapper- 1n the form of a finished lap ready for the card. A further object is to devise a system in which the different grades of cotton or waste treated by the system will be thoroughly mixed so that the finished lap will be more uniform throughout its length than is the case with finished laps made by the batch system, thus avoiding the necessity of having to put a proportion of finished laps that are not within the prescribed limits of Weight through the intermediate and finishing lappers again as is done in the batch system. A still further object is to dev1se a system in which the mixture constituting the finished lap will be more even in make up yard by yard than is the case in any other system of mixing due to the fact that in my system. the various grades of cotton or waste are more thoroughly incorporated in the resultant lap.

Another object is to devise a system which will eliminate" the necessity of forming breaker and intermediate laps as is done in the ordinary batch system at present in use, and yet another object is to devise a system that will be equally applicable to cotton or waste therefrom.

My invention consists of a system all as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the respective machines used in the system viewed from one side thereof.

Fig. 2 is a similar View to Figure l viewed from the other side. i

Fig. 3 is a plan view'oi the machines used in the system, and

Fig. is a perspective detail showing the means for controlling the cotton being i d from thesccond hopper feeder to the finishing lapper.

Like characters of ret'erei'ice indicate corresponding parts inthe different views.

1 is the breaker hopper feeder into which the different grades or cotton or waste are introduced and broken hp and mixed there in, being discharged from the discharge 2 into the conveyor 3 which conveys the cottoncr waste to the opener heater 4. The construction of the opener heater and its drive are covered in my co-pending application of even date forimprovenients in 'drives for beater cleaners and is only indicated in this application diagrammatically. The opener beater beats the cotton or waste and cleans it.. It is then conveyed by Su o tion through the pipe 5 to the screen condenser 6 from which it is dropped into the mixer 7 such mixer thoroughly mixing the different grades of cotton or Waste and opening and conditioning the mixture. 8 IS a pipe by means of which the mixture is sucked into the second screen condenser 9 which further opens and conditions it prior to its dropping into the second hopper feeder 10.

In passing through the second hopper feeder 10 the mixture is delivered to the c0nveyor 11 from which it is delivered into the finishing lapper 12 being discharged there from in the form of the hnished lap. Hitherto it has been the general practice in the art to use thebatch system. passing the min ture through a breaker lapper transferring the breaker lap by hand to an intermediate lapper and again transferring the intermediate lap by hand from the intermediate lap- .per to the finishing lapper;

In my system, as above stated, the breaker and intermediate laps are entirely done away with and the mixture introduced into the breaker hopperfeeder l passing through the respective machines automatically is dis charged in the form of the finished lap from the finishing lapper 12 without the necessity of any handling whatsoever, each successive mach ne of the system through which themixture passes evening the mixture Whetherit be cotton or \vasteand beating it up so that the different grades of cotton or waste.

arc'thoroughly incorporated into the resultant lap. 4

In order to achieve the desired end, I synchronize the operation or" certain of the machiues- .:ihe cross shaft 13 of the conveyor 3 is connected by means of the endless belt 14 passing over the idler pulleys 15 journalled in the hanger 16 to the pulley 17 on the main drive shaft oi" the mixer 7, and the cross shaft 13 of the conveyor 3 is also con: nected by a belt 18 with the main drf re shaft means on the atter.

19 of the; initial hopper feeder ii Thus should the drive of the beater 4; be stopped whlch'controls the cross drive shaft 13, such shaft 13 will stop and simultaneously stop the main drive shaft 19 of the hopper fee ler 'l and the main shaft 17 of the mixer 7;

.The'speed of the conveyor 11 and t .\,l;1opper 10 j is automatically controlled by the amount of cotton or cotton waste required for the finished la in the finishing lapper by If the weight of the cotton discharged from the hopper 10 is too light, the speed of the. conveyor 11 and the hopper 10 is speed'edup so that more cotton I is provided with a pulley 21 which is connected by means of the belt 22 with a pullley 23 on the top cone drum shaft 24: of the finishing lapper. 25 is the cone on the shaft 24:. and 26 is a corresponding opposed tone on the lower cone drum shaft 27, such cones 25 and 26 bein connected together by means of the doub e belt 28. Thus the variation of speed of the shaft 27 to the shaft 24-, which is the standard practice on finishing lappers, is imparted to the shaft 20 by means of my, drive. The parts illustrated with the exception of the pulley 21 and belt 22 and pulley 23 being standard.

I merely connect the shaft 24 with the shaft 21 by the belt 22 to achieve the variation in speed of such shaft 20 in order to control the admiwion of the mixture to the finishing lapper depending upon its Weight as above described.

29 is a dust pipe from the condenser 6, and 30 is a dust pipe from the'condenser 9, said dust pipes being suitably connected to the inlet of the suction fan, which is not shown as it"forms no part of the present invention.

In lapping cotton, it may be found desirable to introduce an additional cleaner between the discharge end 2 of the hopper feeder 1 and the conveyor 3 for effecting a further cleaning operation to the mixture. This is unnecessary where waste is treated. From the above description, it will be seen that I have devised a system in which the mixture fed into the breaker hopper feeder will be automatically cleansed, opened out and thoroughly m xed in its passage "through the respective machines.

prior to its introduction into the finishing lapper without the necessity of any handling whatsoever, and in which the mixing will he more thorough than has heretofore been the ,case with the result that the finished lap will be 'more uniform throughout its entire length and more even yard by yard than is the case with finished laps made by the batch system.

Moreover, I have devised a system in which the movements of the respective machines are synchronized, thus resulting in the production of a better lap.

l Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a system for lapping cotton or cot ton waste, an opener beater, a finishing lap-' per, means for automatically and repeatedly screening and mixing the cotton or'- eot-' ton waste in its passage from the opener heater to the finishing lapper.

2. In a system for lapping-cotton or cotton waste, an opener heater, a finishing lapper, and conveyor means functioning to automatically transfer the cotton or cotton Waste from the opener beater tothe finishing lapper including means for automati- 'cally and repeatedly screening and mixing the cotton or cotton waste in its passagefrom the opener heater to the finishing lapper.

3. In a system for lapping cotton or cotton waste, an opener heater, a finishing lapper, a plurality of screens and mixers, alternately arranged, and conveying means for automatically transferring the cotton or cotton waste from the opener heater to the finishing lappervthrough the screens and mixers.

4. In a systemfor lapping cotton or cotton waste, an opener heater, a finishing lapper, a lurality of screens, a mixer 1115361 posed oetween adjacent screens, a second mixer interposed between the last screen and the finishing lap er, and conveying means for automatica y transferring the cotton or cotton waste from the opener heater to the finishing lapper through the screens and mixers.

5. In a system for lapping cotton or cotton waste, an opener beater, a finishing lapper, a plurality of suction screen condensers, a plurality of. mixers alternating therewith and conveyingv means for automatically transferring the cotton or cotton waste its from the opener heater to the finishing lapper through the condensers and mixers.

6.. In a system for lapping cotton or waste, a breaker hopper feeder, a cleaner, the mixture-of cotton or waste from the hopper feeder discharging into the cleaner, a mixer, a condenser, thecotton or waste ,mixture from the cleaner discharging from the cleaner to the mixer throu h-the condenser, means for driving the c eaner, and means for operating the mixer and breaker hopper from the cleaner driving I a mixer, a condenser, the

means whereby the stopping of the cleaner stops the actuation of the mixer and hopper feeden; F T

7. In a system I for lapping. cotton or waste, a breaker hopper feeder, a cleaner, the mixture of cotton or waste from the hopper feeder discharging into the cleaner, cotton or waste mixture from the cleaner discharging from the cleaner to the mixer through the condenser, meand for driving cross shaft on the cleaner operatively con nected to the main drive thereof, a pulley on the cross shaft, a mixer drive shaft, a pulley thereon, a belt connecting the two pulleys together, a second pulley on the cross shaft, a breaker hopper'feeder drive shaft, a pulley thereon, and a second belt connecting these two pulleys together.

8. In a system for lapping cotton or waste a hopper feeder, a finishing lapper including upper and lower cone drum shafts operatively connected together, a; hopper feeder drive shaft, and means for connecting the upper cone drum shaft and the hopper drive shaft together whereby the discharge of the mixture of cotton or waste from the hopper to the finishing lapper is controlled so as to .be uniform.

9. In a system for lapping cotton or waste, a hopper'feeder, a finishing lapper including upper and lower cone drum shafts the cleaner, a

operatively connected together, a hopper feeder drive shaft, a pulley on the upper cone drum shaft, a pulley on the hopper drive shaft whereby the dischar e of the mixture of cotton or waste from t e hopper to the finishing lapper is controlled so as to be uniform.

10. An apparatus for receiving loose cotton or cotton waste and subjecting same in one continuous automatic operation to a sequence of treatment serving to convert said cotton or cotton waste into finished laps without doubling or the intervention of manual handlin said ap aratus including an opener bea r, a finis ing lapper, a plurality of screens and mixers intermediate the opener beater and the finishing lapper, means for automatically transferring the cotton or cotton waste from the opener heater to the finishing lapper through said screens and mixers, and means for operating all of the aforesaid units .in synchronism through a single transmission of power.

11. The apparatus recited in claim 10 includin a control mechanism functioning to retard or accelerate delivery of the pretreated material to thefinishing lapper in such manner as to compensate for variations in the weight of said material.

WILLIAM ,HARDMAN. 

